


snow halation

by survivalinstinctvalkyria



Series: Survivalinstinctvalkyria's Enstars Ficember 2018 [7]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: A bit of my angsty bs as per usual, Aged-Up Character(s), I'm actually proud of this one..., M/M, dinner date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 17:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16917231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/survivalinstinctvalkyria/pseuds/survivalinstinctvalkyria
Summary: "Hurry up!Before I knew it, my true emotions grew too large to contain.It's painful to never do more than dream of it;I want you to be mine!I don't want to be bewildered by your gentle eyes.Accept all my love for you as it is, Please!❆Ring out!Shall I name this heart-rending pain "Snow halation"?I can’t wait for our feelings to resonate; It’s frustrating, but it’s a pure-hearted devotion called love.Even in this mild fever, I can’t hesitate.I'll accept the courage to dive in; it's about to start!"❆Even if Eichi is a shining light, Keito can't help but focus on the shadows cast over his face.❆Enstars Ficember Day 7: 2̶w̶i̶n̶k̶/Shadows





	snow halation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [acciss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/acciss/gifts).



> I'm a day behind ;;
> 
> You will pry my love for keichi out of my cold, dead hands

The way that the light casts itself over Eichi's face and causes half of it to be shrouded in shadows is beautiful, Keito thinks.

It's the same as his laugh, brushing over the lip of his wine glass elegantly. Like with everything else, he's a natural when it comes to dates.

He's funny when he needs to be, loving without it being overdone, and polite, the perfect image of a man. Well, it's not like Keito hasn't been on a date or two himself in the past year, so at least he has that.

Eichi is trying to intertwine his fingers with Keito's under the table, but Keito pulls his hand away, despite the fact that he wants Eichi to be his more than anything.

Other people want Eichi to be theirs, and Eichi entertains them just the same.

He knows, because he's seen Eichi walking on the street with other men, obviously on a date, even though the feet or two of space between them may suggest ‘coworkers’.

Maybe, that means he should hold on to Eichi like this, maybe it means he should put his guard up and not let Eichi get to close with him; but God, he really does want to hold Eichi's hand. On a second thought, it can't hurt to spoil himself a bit, so he reaches out and takes Eichi's hand on his own.

“You look uneasy, Keito, are you alright?”

Eichi's fingers are brushing over Keito's cheeks, like a match against the side of a matchbox. It's not fair.

Does Eichi do this with everyone else? Does he worry about them and make them feel cared for?

He knows he shouldn't blame Eichi, Eichi asking him out on a date was probably just a show of good will for the blonde. But it's not for Keito, who's been in love with him for years, and his jealousy makes him feel sick in the stomach.

Eichi is a shining light, sure, but Keito can't help but focus on the shadows, those areas where he's unsure of who to he angry at and if he even can be.

“I'm… fine,” he answers.

“I'm glad.” Eichi surveys their table, before looking back up. “We're both done, shall we head out?”

“If you want.”

Eichi giggles, rising out of his seat elegantly. He puts on his coat, long and trench-styled, while Keito slips his blazer on.

When they get outside, the chill bites at their noses. Eichi sneezes, and Keito notices him shivering.

“Do you want my blazer?”

Eichi shakes his head. “You'll be cold, then.” He steps closer to Keito, before grabbing a hold of his arm and cuddling against, tucking his head into Keito's shoulder. “Is this alright?”

Keito wants to say no, but he can't find it in himself, and nods.

He'll spoil himself, just for tonight and any other night the two of them go out to eat. He'll spoil himself and lie that this actually means something to Eichi.

Even if he hates to admit it, the blonde clinging to his arm is impossible to resist.

The rest of the walk is silent, and Keito focuses on the snow falling. It drifts through the air, before landing on whatever surface it reaches first. When the snow falls over Eichi's face and lands on his cheeks, Keito can't help the amused chuckle at the thought that it looks like freckles.

“Thank you for taking me home, Keito,” Eichi whispers once they make it, reluctant to break the comforting silence between them.

“Of course.” Keito's side instantly feels colder once Eichi departs from it, but he steels up his stoic nature. “That was… a good experience, Eichi, thank you very much. I'll see you again?” His voice is hopeful as he asks, and he can hear Eichi's barely contained giggle.

“Yes, definitely.”

“I'm glad.” Keito's an adult now, he knows there's no point in trying to hide what he's feeling when he so desperately wants this—to feel the warmth of Eichi against him, to hear him laugh, and see that brilliant smile of his, and never have to leave—so he doesn't try and force a stoic face. Instead, he smiles, and Eichi sees, because Keito can see the blonde's eyes widen ever so slightly, even if he seems as composed as ever. “Have a good night, Eichi.”

The _wait_ that falls past Eichi's lips just as Keito turns around is so quiet that it nearly gets eaten up by the wind, but Keito hears and turns back around. Before he can question anything, Eichi's hands are at his cheeks—the skin instantly feels warmer under his touch—and he's pulling him close so their noses can brush. Their visible breath mingles, warm, as if coaxing Keito to never leave.

(Trust him, if he had the choice, he wouldn't.)

Eichi's eyes hold a question, as he tilts his head slightly to lean in just a bit closer.

 _May I kiss you?_ he's asking, Keito knows.

Ah, this is the sign it was a good date, isn't it? After all, why else would Eichi be holding him so gently? Why else would Eichi, who is normally so guarded behind pleasantries, now be looking at him so earnestly, with such a sincerely loving look that Keito's heart may just burst.

He doesn't feel the need to answer, nor does he want to. How could he bear to break this moment between them, like something out of a picture book brought to life?

(And he'll never admit it, but it's not as though he has the patience to wait for Eichi to register his answer and kiss him; he's waited long enough to kiss the angel in front of him.)

Shutting his eyes, Keito tilts his head just enough that he can lean in and kiss Eichi softly. He can feel Eichi's eyelashes flutter against his eyelids—the blonde must be blinking in surprise—before Eichi shuts his eyes and hums softly against Keito's lips. Keito's hands creep up over Eichi's hips and waist to wrap around the small of his back, pulling Eichi close and holding him steady.

The world seems to still, silent except for the sound of their breath and the beating of their hearts. Everything is warm and comforting, even with the cold of the air, like there's a flame between them that they fan with every movement. _I love you_ goes unsaid, but maybe it's better that way.

When he senses that Eichi needs a breath of air, he pulls back a parts his eyes only slightly, watching his breath curl in the air, and somehow it comes to his mind that most of their breath is intermingling dipping into the space between their parted lips.

“Eichi,” he whispers, and Eichi opens his eyes, as well. There's silence for a moment before Eichi speaks himself.

“Stay the night.”

“I have work tomorrow.” He hardly deliberates it; work is work, no questions asked.

“Please, Keito, stay the night,” Eichi murmurs. His eyes haven't lost even an ounce of their earnesty—it honestly hurts. “It's cold out; you shouldn't be walking home, and I shouldn't have to freeze by myself.”

“Then call someone else to cuddle you or whatever else,” Keito protests bitterly, releasing Eichi from his grasp. Eichi doesn't let go of Keito's cheeks. He stands there, silent for a moment, face filled with an emotion Keito can't name.

“You're the first,” he blurts out. “You're the first person I've ever actually wanted to take on a date. You're the first person I've truly enjoyed myself with like this. You're the first person I've kissed at my doorstep. Hell, you're the first person I've let kiss me at all. And if you stay, you'll be the first person I've invited into my home, or my bed. You're the first person I've let see me flustered or surprised, which is why… you shouldn't be jealous.”

“What do you mean I'm the first? Those other people—”

“Stop acting like I'm that Hakaze-kun from our class in high school, I've only been on one other date this month,” Eichi chides. “Remember that other man you saw me walking with? I wasn't clinging to his arm or even touching him, was I? Stop telling yourself that you're just another person I've taken out to eat, you're different from everyone else.”

“If that's the case, then why even go on dates with them at all?”

Eichi's facial expression shifts again, obviously embarrassed, so he tucks his head into Keito's shoulder to hide his face and slides his hands down to his chest to clutch his blazer. “Whenever I went on those dates before, I'd either pretend they were you, or imagine what they would have been like if they were with you after the fact,” he admits, voice low.

Keito feels his face shift in surprise. “That's…”

“... The truth, yes,” Eichi finishes for him. “Whatever you think of it, that's just how it is, I guess, but please understand what I'm trying to tell you.”

There's silence, the feeling of silence, Eichi's hold on Keito's blazer trembling—is he about to cry? That can't be helped, Keito tells himself.

“You love me.”

Eichi's hands are now fisted into Keito's blazer. “That's right.”

“Then get up, you idiot.”

Eichi pushes himself out of Keito with a jolt, face confused and scared, until Keito's hands meet his waist and he's being pushed back against the door so that Keito can kiss him. When Eichi realizes what's happening, he keels himself and leans in to meet him halfway.

Eichi's hands meet his shoulders as they kiss, and this time, it's a promise that passes between them, not just their breath. _Eichi loves him, Eichi loves him, Eichi loves him,_ the thought repeats in his mind like a mantra. There's a small thud as Eichi's head meets the door, Keito being unable to resist the chance to prove to himself that this is real. When his tongue meets Eichi's, it's every part as liberating as it is alluring, and God, is there a snowflake on his tongue? The soft noise from Eichi that is almost completely muffled by their lips is what brings them back to the real world and reminds that, holy shit, they're practically making out on Eichi's doorstep.

Both of their faces are bright red, both from the cold and the kiss. Eichi looks shocked for a moment, before his gaze melts into something of such pure affection that Keito might melt himself.

He leans up to whisper in Keito's ear, and just the feeling of his lips against his helix sends a shiver down Keito's spine.

“Stay the night, please.”

Keito's hands tighten their grip of Eichi's hips, pulling him down so their eyes can meet.

“If that's what you want.”

His hands drift up to cup Eichi's cheeks, brushing his thumbs over the soft skin and watching how the shadows from the Christmas lights strung up dance. Maybe, if he holds Eichi in the light like this, he can brush away everything that stands between them; maybe, he can wipe away the shadows.

**Author's Note:**

> They cuddled later that night
> 
> I know what Eichi was doing isn't really nice but that's just the kind of person he is you don't need to justify every action a person makes


End file.
